The Dangers of DIY Office Cleaning

It's natural for a business owner to always be cognizant of their organization's bottom line. But in some cases, making decisions based on obvious costs can cause you to make decisions that aren't within your company's best interests. Case in point: hiring commercial cleaning services. At first, it might seem like working with a professional cleaning company would represent an unnecessary expense. Why hire someone to clean the facilities when someone on-staff can take care of the job just as well? Unfortunately, that thinking ends up being short-sighted -- and it can ultimately do financial damage to your business in the long run. Here's why you should never try to DIY your own office cleaning.

You'll Hurt Productivity

When you take on any task yourself that you could outsource, you're going to have to sacrifice somewhere. After all, there are only so many hours in a work day. In some way, you'll be taking time and energy away from other parts of your business. That could cause your ability to properly manage your team to suffer or might result in a decrease in overall output, depending on who is tasked with maintaining cleaning services. What's more, your employees probably won't be too happy with this arrangement. Since employees who feel valued and engaged with their work are typically more productive, guess what happens when workers are forced to take on these jobs in addition to their own responsibilities? Ultimately, whatever money you might save by not hiring a professional cleaning company will be lost in diminished productivity and employee turnover -- and then some.

You'll Risk Employee Health

Did you know that influenza is responsible for 200 million days of diminished productivity and 75 million days of work absence? Without a professional office cleaning team, you'll be fighting a losing battle against germs. Viruses and bacteria can run rampant in an office environment, especially when cleaning methods are lax. Simply put, you won't be able to keep up with cleaning standards if you're trying to handle this job on your own. As a result, your employees will be more likely to miss work due to illness. That will have a direct impact on your productivity and on morale in general. What's more, asking your employees to handle unhygienic cleaning tasks could cause additional problems. And if your workers don't have access to the equipment and knowledge of a professional cleaning company, they could end up making a bad situation much worse. In the end, it's far better to invest in the health of your employees by working with the professionals.

You'll Damage Your Reputation

It's easy to overlook a messy office environment when you're there every day. We tend to normalize these situations and fail to see them through the eyes of a stranger. But the same cannot be said for clients or would-be employees who come to your office. They won't be so willing to forgive a disgusting bathroom or a dusty conference room. And in the digital age, word can spread quickly. Don't assume that people won't talk. They will, and they may choose to do business elsewhere because of your choice to DIY office cleaning. You're risking your reputation by trying to save a few bucks. You'll have to carefully consider whether hurting your brand is worth it.

We understand that hiring a professional cleaning service might sound like just one more expense. But for the sake of your employees and your customers, you'll want to make it a priority. By leaving these tasks to the professionals, you'll be able to focus on the core operations of your business, maximize productivity and employee health, and protect the brand you worked so hard to build. For more information, please contact us today.